


Tightrope

by Midgard_writer



Series: The New Wolf Zirkus [1]
Category: Popee the Performer (Anime)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24380599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midgard_writer/pseuds/Midgard_writer
Summary: Balance is important for a tightrope walker. So, when that balance is interrupted by a newcomer, Popee is none too pleased.
Series: The New Wolf Zirkus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799578
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Tightrope

**Author's Note:**

> I'm thinking of writing a PTP fanfic, but this is a little look into the future. Enjoy!

The town was a small, beautiful place that Juniper enjoyed. She found that the community was much like her family--welcoming and happy to help. She saw the bright colors of the flowers all around and the calmness was more than pleasant. The cafe the young lady sat in was still bustling, but it was perfection. She enjoyed the cup of coffee, even if it didn’t calm her nerves as her mind wandered away.

In less than five minutes, she would be on her way to the circus. She was rejected by three other places, but she had to keep going. Her mother and father were worried that her dream of acrobatics would plummet to the ground. They often asked her if she’d gotten into a circus, but they would never show disappointment towards their daughter. It was all about encouragement, but she hoped that this was her place. 

“I hope you enjoyed your drink!” The barista said with a smile,” Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yeah,” Juniper nodded as she picked up her bag,”Can you tell me how to get to Wolf Zurkus?”

The whole cafe stopped. Juniper was startled by this response, unsure of why they were upset or silent. The barista had a look that the young woman could only describe as a mixture between pure horror and annoyance. He leaned in over the counter, as if he was to tell some big secret. 

“Why would you want to go there?” he asked.

“I’m looking for a job in the circus field,” she explained,” I’m a tightrope walker.”

“But why there?”

“Well, why not? I mean, is it abandoned-”

“Far from it!” a person called out, then was immediately hushed by the person in front of them.

“So, then what’s the big deal?” 

The barista gave a sigh and put down the order he was working on. No one complained, for they knew what he was about to go through.

“That ‘circus’,” he explained,” is a pure nightmare. Explosions, fighting, I’m pretty sure someone was murdered there! They think this town is abandoned or something, so it’s probably why they don’t care what they do. They are a nuisance to our community and if you join them...well, you get the point.”

As much as Juniper would take this into consideration, her lifelong dream was hanging by a thread. She had to go to the circus and show off her talent. Even with her persistent nature, the barista was unsure. Until she showed that she was not going to give up. The barista looked as though he felt bad for her. 

“Down the street, take a left and then you’ll see the tents.”

“Thank you!” Juniper said before she walked off. 

The others in the shop felt bad for the young lady. She didn’t know what she was getting into. She had no idea that this gig would be a complete disaster. They wished the best for her, but, if they were honest, they hoped to never see her again. So off she went, down the street and to the left, nervous but more than excited to do so. 

The sun was beating down upon the Wolf Zurkus and time seemed to be standing still. Kedamono was sweating through his fur, his shorts almost soaked. The expression on his mask was one that was in misery due to the heat. He could hear clamoring and distant chatter. He wished this heat would end and he could relax with a chicken wing and his television all the way up. 

As he tried to relax, he saw a figure walking towards the circus. He peered outward and tried to see who was approaching. The red haired young woman walked further just as Keda worked his way towards her. He was absolutely confused by the sight.

“Can I help you?” he asked, startling the girl,”Oh! Sorry there, miss.”

“That’s alright,” she insisted,” My, I have to say, I haven’t seen anyone like you. No offense!”

“None taken!” he laughed,”I get that alot. What are you doing here?”

“I actually came here for an audition,” she explained,” I have to meet a man named Papi…?”

This was Juniper! Papi told Keda about the audition yesterday, but refused to tell Popee. The purple wolf knew why, but he had to make sure the young man wasn’t around. He decided to help the young woman find the odd circus leader. 

“I’m Kedamono, by the way,” He said,” Welcome to the Wolf Zurkus!”

She thanked the purple wolf as they entered a nearby tent. The odd man sat on the floor, as if he was meditating. His eyes were closed and his mind was somewhere else. Keda and Juniper looked in, not wanting to disturb him. They were quiet, until he spoke up.

“Ah, you must be Juniper.”  
“That would be me,” she said. 

Papi leapt up from his spot and did a flip. Keda and Juniper clapped with smiles on their faces. He bowed twice before walking over to the two. He studied Juniper up and down, with her being confused. Then, his smile grew wide.

“I want to see what you can do,” he said,” we have a tightrope that’s pretty high up...if you think you can do it.”

Juniper was more than prepared for anything she had to do. The three went outside and Papi pointed to the tightrope that was high in the sky. She gulped, but as Keda handed her the stick to walk with, she was ready. Soon, she was in the air, walking quickly and steadily. Down on the ground, Papi was carefully watching. 

“You can do it, Juniper!” Keda clapped. 

Juniper didn’t understand why the town was afraid of the circus. So far, this seemed like a nice place. There was a comfortable feeling in the air and there was nothing to be afraid of. Until…

“Dad!” an annoyed voice growled,”Where’s the stick? I need to beat-”

The tightrope walker looked in her hands. This was the stick. She nervously looked below and saw that an angry looking boy...cat...bunny person was becoming angry. Papi was explaining to him where it was, but the young man looked up and made eye contact with the acrobat. They froze for a moment, before Juniper had to look away, forgetting how high up she was. At first, he watched with content--but it didn’t last long. The young man, through his teeth, turned to his father.

“Who is that?” he asked.

“Popee,” Papi tried to explain,” that is Juniper. She came here to audition to be a part of our-”

“Why?” he asked,” The three of us can tightrope just fine.”

“Not you. You have other talents, but tightrope walking is not one of them.”

“I’ll show you what I’m good at!”

Uh oh. 

Juniper sped across the tightrope as Popee threw bombs up at her. She could now see why everyone in tow was scared of this circus. This guy was crazy! When the bombs stopped, she was at the end of the rope. She smiled, satisfied that she’d made it across. Before she could turn to get down, she felt a sharp pain in her leg. She looked and found a knife in her leg. She soon fell on her back, the stick rolling to the feet of Popee. He swiped it up and walked over to her, giving her a pleasant smile.

“Thank you!”

Juniper sat up and rolled her eyes. Keda helped her up and she thanked him. She was still annoyed at how the audition ended, but felt her performance had been well. 

“I think it was great!” Keda nodded,” I’m sure Papi’s gonna let you in!”

“I hope so,” she sighed,” it’s only a-”

“Oh Keda!”

Keda looked over and his mask became an expression of fear. Juniper looked to the side ad became appalled. Popee had knives taped to both ends of the stick, with a smile of evil proportions. He ran towards the two, with full intent on performing a harmful act. Papi was on the side, shaking his head and burying his hands in his face. Keda ran and tried to find a spot to hide. Juniper didn’t notice her foot stick out as Popee ran. Then, in slow motion, Popee stumbled in the air and landed face first on the dagger. There was a panic from everyone, even the frog that had buried himself in the sand. 

“Oh, oh my God!” Juniper knelt down,”I’m so sorry...I can get you something from the First Aid kit! Should we call an ambulance?”

Popee put his hand on top of Juniper’s. She looked down at him, a soft look on her face. He looked up with an extremely angry face.

“You.”

With that, the three were running away from Popee. He threw his bombs in a fit of anger. Even as the three hid, Juniper felt right. She felt like, even with everything that was crazy, she belonged. This was her home. This was her circus. This was it.

“I do apologize for my son,” Papi breathed out,” this is a typical day for him. But you’ve got talent, I’ll give you that. If you stay, maybe you can teach him a thing or two.”

Stay? Was she finally getting an offer? With a smile, she agreed and stuck her hand out. Papi smiled and shook her hand. He welcomed her to the circus as a bomb came rolling their way. And the rest was history.


End file.
